College football access

The Saban thread got me thinking about something that I hadn't seen on here and wanted to discuss.

Is there any way the NCAA or conferences can make coaches give a minimum level of access for the players? Why, in theory, could Myles Brand or Mike Slive not call Alabama and make Saban let his assistants and players talk (if they wanted)? I understand that sometimes kids say stupid things, and I understand when some coaches make certain players off-limits. But what coaches like Saban do is complete bullshit. These players are almost all 18 and older and can vote and be drafted by the military, and they can't talk to the media 3-4 times a week for a few minutes if we need them? I mean, really ... not for 10 fucking minutes? I know they're busy, but NO ONE is that busy. Or important. And not letting his assistants talk is even worse. It's utterly ridiculous.
Is there no one who can make these dictators change? Could we fight this battle behind the scenes? Have we? If a player doesn't want to talk, fine, he doesn't have to. But if he doesn't mind, these arrogant pricks shouldn't be allowed to keep them from us.

Man I didnt see the Saban thread, but this sounds like something he would do. I go to FSU and after this past offseason, no one in Tallahassee thinks happy thoughts about this guy. After Jimbo Fisher all but signed to come to FSU, Saban was going after him and offering absurd amounts of money to the guy.

Alabama screwed up firing a good coach....then couldn't get a top notch coach(Rich Rodriguez)...Then paid a rediculous amount of money to get Saban away from the Dolphins.

I think both Alabama and Saban deserve each other, and they are going to go down in flames...

I agree that it's pathetic that coaches like Saban play these games with the media. It almost seems like they do it in order to remind the media who has the true power. I'd love for conference or NCAA higher-ups to get involved, but I'm not sure if the media has the leverage to do it. What are we looking for? Access. Say the newspapers and TV stations that cover a megalomaniac coach organize a boycott. Who do the fans of that school get angry at? The coach? I doubt it. More likely the media for not taking the measly scraps the coach gives them and liking it. The coach can win games without media coverage. The newspapers, I don't think, can go too long without the college team in the paper. And do the conferences and the NCAA care enough to police it? If it damaged their earning potential, maybe, but otherwise, no.

Honestly, I don't think some of the reporters at the college I cover now know how good they have it when it comes to access. Here, we can grab assistants and players as they walk off the practice field. If they don't want to talk, they don't have to, but they're not hidden away. When I worked at my alma mater's student paper, we got two days for interviews -- the players on Monday and the head coach on Tuesday. Assistants were off limits. I never realized how constricting that was until I arrived at my current shop.

Man I didnt see the Saban thread, but this sounds like something he would do. I go to FSU and after this past offseason, no one in Tallahassee thinks happy thoughts about this guy. After Jimbo Fisher all but signed to come to FSU, Saban was going after him and offering absurd amounts of money to the guy.

Alabama screwed up firing a good coach....then couldn't get a top notch coach(Rich Rodriguez)...Then paid a rediculous amount of money to get Saban away from the Dolphins.

I think both Alabama and Saban deserve each other, and they are going to go down in flames...

I fenced with Saban for five years, and I would never argue for less access, but ... if you were a coach and visited this thread daily, would you think it's smart to open up to a bunch of loosers like us? I mean, with the Internets at their disposal, plus the radio shows and TV shows and meet-and-greets with the fans, they really don't need us like they used to, and the conference commissioners know this too.

I fenced with Saban for five years, and I would never argue for less access, but ... if you were a coach and visited this thread daily, would you think it's smart to open up to a bunch of loosers like us? I mean, with the Internets at their disposal, plus the radio shows and TV shows and meet-and-greets with the fans, they really don't need us like they used to, and the conference commissioners know this too.

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A bunch of loosers LIKE us? Dude, there are no other loosers like us...

I think it was before the 2006 season that Texas Tech coach Mike Leach announced that only two players _ QB and a defensive back _ would be available for interviews each week. That was it, 2 players, the same players, during the week and after games. Leach believed that the previous season went up in flames after his players got big heads doing interviews.
In response, Fort Worth Star-Telegram announced it would only be covering Tech with game stories during the season. The paper probably screwed up by making the announcement in the paper and not letting Leach and the school know ahead of time.
After a lot of pissing back and forth, Leach agreed to allow requested players to be interviewed after games. Now, basically, all is well regarding Tech access ... until Leach gets another hair up his butt.

Bottom line: NCAA is POWERLESS regarding football and basketball (outside of NCAA Tournament) matters concerning the media. Big 12 has tried to make sure Bob Knight is on weekly conference calls but as his years in Lubbock stack up, he's blown it off more and more. Conferences are basically powerless. What are they gonna do ... fine/suspend coaches? Basically, they can STRONGLY URGE cooperation but that's about it.

Bottom line: NCAA is POWERLESS regarding football and basketball (outside of NCAA Tournament) matters concerning the media. Big 12 has tried to make sure Bob Knight is on weekly conference calls but as his years in Lubbock stack up, he's blown it off more and more. Conferences are basically powerless. What are they gonna do ... fine/suspend coaches? Basically, they can STRONGLY URGE cooperation but that's about it.

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Pro leagues fine coaches and players all the time for blowing off press conferences. Why couldn't a conference do the same thing to a coach or school?